


Rivulets

by Hereisthere_gg



Series: Rivulets Turn to Waterfalls [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, BUT IT GETS REALLY, Child Abuse, F/M, I warn you, REALLY LOW, REALLY LOW BEFORE THAT, SO, Sunshine Child, TRIGGER WARNING????, but not really, ooc??, really - Freeform, so this isn't that surprising, there is a happy ending, we all know hawk daddy has anger problems, you are warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 12:19:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8578312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hereisthere_gg/pseuds/Hereisthere_gg
Summary: "Chat, please stop flirting with me. It only interferes with our missions."
"But Ladybug, I thought you loved my jokes!"
"I do. But I can tell that you aren't joking. I'm sorry, Chat. But I just don't feel the same way."
"... I understand, Ladybug."
"I'm really sorry, Chaton."





	1. Le Minou

**Author's Note:**

> Hurt Adrien gives me life I'm a certified sadist

_I'm sorry, Chat._

Plagg was attempting to futilely bandage his legs, after cuts that ran too deep.

_I'm really sorry, Chaton._

He was so sensitive. Too sensitive.

_Useless, useless._

_Soft. Box it in._

"Kid," Plagg took a moment to grunt as he placed another bandage. "Stop doing this to yourself."

As if just telling him not to would magically make him stop. He scratches idly at a scar, Plagg pushes his had away, and he doesn't move again.

"Will I..." He doesn't feel like talking, but he needs to ask. He cares about his lady, still. He mumbles something along the lines of "akuma".

"Nah, kid." The Kwami floats up to fluff Adrien's hair. "You're special."

"Hhum."

"Well, if you must know," Plagg pats out a little bed in a catlike manner on Adrien's sheet, avoiding wet spots. "Cat Noirs are practically immune to Akumas." He yawned. "You're not the only one used to disappointment, kitten."

"Sad."

"Mm. Bad luck."

Adrien sighs mournfully. Plagg snores and decides resolutely to ignore him.

* * *

He turns off his alarm the next morning. He's worthless. He shouldn't try. When he does, he fails. It's better to just stay here in the warmth and comfort of his bed.

"Kid, it's nine o'clock!" Plagg repeatedly hits his head, trying to rouse him from the dreamland in between sleep and wakefulness. Adrien doesn't move, even though his eyes are open, lidded, and hazy.

Plagg furrows his eyebrows, but then shrugs. "Well, suit yourself, kitten." He acts like he couldn't care less, but he settles in Adrien's arms, and the boy pulls him closer, sleepily apologizing for whatever; his breath, his tears, his anything.

Plagg quietly reassures him that it's okay before falling back asleep.

* * *

 

Plagg is awake when he hears the door open, and hides immediately.

"Adrien." The voice, is intimidating, laced with concealed rage. Adrien is in the same position he woke up in three hours ago. The boy is silent.

Gabriel Agreste then rips the covers off of the bed, and grabs his son's arm. A single choked sob escapes his throat before he is jerked upward, and his father turns him to look him in the face.

"Adrien Agreste," He says over the child's sobs, "You are an Agreste. Stop crying. _Stop crying!_ "

The slap is harsh, sudden, loud, and shocks Adrien into silence, tears still racing down his cheeks.

"You will be ready for photo shoots in an hour." Is all Gabriel says as he leaves, slamming the door shut behind him.

A moment later, a miserable wail escapes the throat of Adrien Agreste, and Plagg comes out of hiding, soothing he child and looking out for Akumas. This is a new low, capable of creating a Champion Form that could actually kill. Plagg couldn't risk fighting without a Chat Noir.

And Adrien couldn't risk being Akumanized and face the trauma of hurting his Lady.


	2. Bleggg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nondescriptive Puking and suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha (suffering) hahahaha

Of course he gets up and does what he's told. Because he doesn't want to find out what will happen if he doesn't.

His mind is strangely silent as he stands on quaking legs, maybe still trying to comprehend-

Mm-mm. Nope. _Stop crying_.

So he tries not to think about it and tries to do what he is told.

He trips over his own two feet and almost collapses, because he feels so weak, because he is weak, and worthles , and it is so tempting to lay down and feel like shit-

But he's standing again thanks to gentle nudging from his Kwami.

He wonders where he would be without Plagg.

Maybe dead.

The idea flits through his mind and grabs hold before he can stop it.

Death sounds promising. A promise of infinite _not_ , sounds amazing. He pauses as he eats his cereal, to process the fact that he is eating cereal. Wasn't he putting his clothes on a second ago?

But. Doesn't he have duties? As Chat Noir? To protect the city.

_Uselessuselessuseless_

No. There were times that Ladybig almost gave up her Miraculous to save someone, and without me she would've. He rubs at his eyes.

_Uselessuselessuseless_

You're-wrong-

_**Uselessuselessuselessuseless** _

No-

His eyes burn. His whole body is quaking. He feels like throwing up whatever he managed to stuff in his mouth.

"Adrien."

Oh God. Every negative and horrible feeling he was feeling two seconds ago is now multiplied. He almost gags. Oh my God.

"I see you have decided to drag yourself out of bed."

Oh God-here it comes-what he was worried about. He feels a few tears slip.

"You are now banned from public school. I don't want you-"

He feels a bad mix of acid and cereal coming up and miraculously manages to swallow it back down. But the cost is uncontrollable dry-heaving and sobbing and tears.

_**Worthlessworthlessworthlessworthless** _

His father disappears and Nathalie replaces him when he actually does throw something up.


	3. Bleggg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nondescriptive Puking and suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha (suffering) hahahaha

He goes to school for the last time. Because he can play off not hearing what his father said. Which he does a lot.

 

In the car on the way there, he fantasizes of crashes, of seatbelts choking him, of possible death that doesn't come. His heart stutters and feels empty more than once, a cold, oppressive feeling, but Plagg is always there to help him feel better.

 

_What if they find hawkmoth what will he do once he's not a superhero anymore he doesn't want to be Adrien for the rest of his life what will he do_

 

His heart stutters, and he can't breath, and Plagg purrs soothingly. 

 

* * *

"There you are!" The teacher says. Here I am, he thinks dully. Conspiratorially, his teacher adds, "I was beginning to think you skipped, Agreste."

 

A futile attempt at being cool. Everything is a futile attempt. A dull, wasted effort

 

He nods and smiles, not caring if he looks weird for a moment because he doesn't trust himself to speak and it would be worse, standing there, flubbing over his words.

 

He sits in his usual seat, and takes one last look at everything.

 

He might die soon.

  
____

* * *

He can make it seem like everything is okay. Part of being a model is being an actor, if only for a moment. You learn to fake expressions in real life sooner or later. 

 

Plagg is soothing him all day, to keep him from breaking down. His breath hitches for a moment when he realizes how needy he is. How useless he is.

 

And Plagg purrs, rubbing his head against his chest, exactly where it hurts most, and Adrien guiltily feels better.

 

"Adrien."

 

He immediately takes into account the tone, and the test in her hands, and has trouble finding the right mask of neutrality. What he doesn't see is the gentle smile on his teacher's lips.

 

_Shitwhatdidhedowhatwhyhowcanhefixitwhatdidhedowrongthistime_

 

"B." She hands him the test, pats his back, and he sighs in relief at the okay grade.

 

But he realizes his father will not be okay with this.

 

"Uhm, I have to go to the bathroom."

 

* * *

"Deep breaths, deep breaths."

 

He gags again, and is grateful that nothing comes up because he doesn't trust himself to eat anything today. Plagg is a constant stream of approvals and back-pats and affection that he can't live without. He'd die if he left.

 

Adrien gags again.

 

But he's happy that he hid in there long enough to miss his shoots.

* * *

He can play it off. And he does flawlessly. It's saddening how good he is at acting. 

 

He doesn't like it. But he has to.

 

Marinette is the only person who actually asks anything about him that matters.

 

"A-are you okay, A-Adrien?"

 

He freezes, and realizes the he can't let his mask slip.  Even if she is the only person who cares.

 

He can't let her know the real him, and then never see her again. That would be cruel to everyone involved.

 

And he would only have himself to blame.

 

"Adrien?"

 

Yeah, right. She was talking.

 

"Yes, Marinette?"

 

Her gentle smile twists into a concerned frown, and Adrien is left drowning under a sea of _whatdididowhathowcanifixitwhatdididowrong_ before she asks again.

 

He casually ignores all the anxieties, before giving his Model Grin and assuring her that everything was fine, fine, no need to worry.

 

She only likes him as a model, anyway.

 

* * *

He gets home without seeing his father, which is a success that calls for celebration in and of itself, but he finds that seeing no one on his way to his room is an added bonus.

 

He slams the door behind him, and breaks. He sobs, breath hitching and the oppressive emptiness coming back as crushing on his heart. He clutches the front of his shirt as he can't get enough air, and Plagg is all comforting again, and Adrien wetly promises to get him extra Camembert. Plagg soothes him, saying he doesn't need to worry about that, and so Adrien stops worrying about that. A little.

 

And so he goes to bed, tired and lonely, definitely not looking forward to tomorrow. Maybe he can throw up again, so he can get out of modeling and Chinese and homeschooling and generally everyday for the last fourteen years of his life. But tomorrow.

 

He also hopes he doesn't see his father.


	4. Running runnin and Runnin runnin (and runnin and runnin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and runnin runnin and runnin runnin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nathalie I know you only want to help but you're an accomplice to Adrien's suffering. You can't soften your crimes and expect to be let off the hook. I won't let you.

Of course he sees his father, because he is bad luck and luck is never on his side. Nathalie is droning something by his ear that he ignores, because he knows his schedule, no need to tell him every day for the next thousand years. 

 

Or the next few months. 

 

Or sooner.

 

But his father's voice that he is no longer used to so it cuts through his train of thought like a knife, says that he is disappointed in him because he missed his tutoring and shoots yesterday. Adrien feels a sick feeling twist in his gut, by now an old friend.

 

"You are also banned from seeing your old 'friends'," and Adrien isn't surprised, and yet the sick feeling coils tighter. "I will not have you influenced by them any longer." 

 

He isn't, he can't possibly be, because any semblance of will he had was gone two days ago, when the fact that his father didn't give two shits about his son's mental health, that he didn't care at all.

 

Adrien is dying. He can feel it. 

 

Plagg isn't comforting in his father's presence.

 

His father gives him another stone cold look before leaving.

And Adrien stands, ignoring Nathalie, her cries for him to stop, stop right this minute Adrien, but he can't really hear her, because his blood is pounding in his ears and he needs to stop, stop

 

He goes in his room and locks the door, and then locks the door to his bathroom as well, but he doesn't transform because he doesn't want to risk Ladybug finding him like this. Nathalie is banging on the door to his room in a rare act of unprofessionalism, but then it quiets because she is probably going to go ask his dad for the key.

 

Adrien whimpers.

 

And he jumps when he hears the windows shift. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOO


	5. Miraculous (simply the best)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> up to the test when things go wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug you saint
> 
> (Edit like months later: I feel like I should say that Ladybug knew something was up with Chat the night before, and he let something slip, and she figured our who he was and his situation. I just didn't make that clear and I didn't want it to seem like some kind of Duex Ex Machina scene or whatever. He's in trouble, but all the sudden, out of nowhere, for no obvious reason, ladybug is suddenly there to help?! Like, what?!?! But, no, there was an event leading up to I that I didn't make clear, sorry.)

"So I hear that you're in a bit of trouble?" Ladybug asks, closing the window behind her. She plans on the brave and steady act as helping, but by the way Adrien's shaking intensifies and his breathing worsens, it isn't helping. So she lets a bit of the real her show, gentle and compassionate. She isn't sure if Adrien wants to be touched, so she walks only slightly closer, and it guiltily reminds her of taming a wild animal.

 

She takes the black Kwami cuddling into Adrien's cheek and purring in stride.

 

* * *

_Oh my God he's such a fuck up how on Earth is he so bad at everything_

* * *

 

"It's okay-"

 

A series of jingling, and the door opens. Ladybug prepares her yoyo for some male rushing in and grabbing Adrien roughly, dragging him back out. 

 

And she was half right.

 

* * *

_Oh God Why_

* * *

Gabriel Agreste stutters for only a moment. "Ladybug," he says smoothly. "What are you doing here?" He feigns some kind of innocence, clearly advancing over to a retreating Adrien, who is scooting away, whimpering "no"s as he tries to get away in his weakened state. 

 

"Gabriel Agreste." Ladybug says cooly. "I suggest you stop, before you make it worse on yourself." She strides over and stands tall in between Adrien and Gabriel, and the young boy dazedly holds onto her legs, wide-eyed and murmuring "I'm sorry"s that he is barely aware of. The Kwami is gone, probably hiding somewhere in the boy's jacket. 

 

Ladybug can feel him struggling for breath, and that only sparks more anger.

 

"I suggest you leave."

 

Gabriel looks affronted, possibly at the thought that Ladybug would blame him for this, and is about to tell her so.

 

"Ladybug-he is just a spoiled child-"

 

"Leave."

 

Gabriel is nothing short of disgraced as he leaves, openly seething with anger. "You will hear from my lawyer."

 

"Mhm." Ladybug hums, feigning sweetness. "You can tell them all about your side, and I'll tell them all about the child abuse!"

 

Gabriel shuts up then, and leaves.

 

Ladybug sighs, and lowers herself so she can properly talk to Adrien.

 

"Are you okay?" What a dumb question. "I mean, are you..." She gives up. "Do you want to talk about it?"

 

The boy is silent now, and shakes his head no. Ladybug offers a hug, and he takes it.

 

Maybe some other time, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost there


	6. Finale (Trolololol)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living arrangements!! And, ha, you thought this was over. i did too but i guess no one gets a happy ending quite yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO HAPPY ENDING FOR YOU!!

Marinette ran a hand over Adrien's hair before resting her head on it.

 

They had sat here for what felt like hours, after Ladybug carefully brought Adrien to the bakery.

 

She hadn't called the authorities yet. She still needed solid grounds, in Adrien's words, as to what he had done.

 

_Children are born into this world with an inherent trust in their caregivers, their parents. When that precious trust is broken, only pain erupts._

 

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Marinette asks, as an attempt to start something. Adrien shakes his head, leaning further into her. Marinette was slightly shaken, but there were more pressing matters at hand than her crush.

 

"Don't want to do anything." He murmurs. Marinette agrees, and takes the time to quietly unwind, trying to not think of anything in particular. Let her mind graze over familiarities. Her computer. The bakery's doorbell chiming cheerfully. Tikki, floating around her room, and Plagg-

 

  
_No_. No, back to familiar territory.

 

Adrien shifted slightly, and Marinette moved to accommodate the new position. The model sighed.

 

"My head hurts," He mumbled. Marinette makes a sound of agreement.

 

"Is he still my father?" Adrien suddenly asks.

 

Marinette blinks. "I...I guess not." 

 

Adrien shifts to look at her. "But he is my father in a biological sense."

 

"Yes, but," she furrows her eyebrows in thought. "A father is there for his son, encourages him, provides support and love..." She trails off, unable to think clearly. Adrien turns away from her.

 

"So, he isn't my father?"

 

"Not in a loving sense."

* * *

It was the next day. Adrien was currently living with the Dupain-Chengs, after Marinette explained the situation. The young model couldn't bear with pity, and they understood.

 

"Adrien?" Marinette left the bakery portion of her home, climbing the stairway. "Adrien, where are you?"

 

She looked around the living room and small kitchen before deciding that no, he couldn't be anywhere but her room. So she climbed the ladder.

 

"Adrien?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo! Adrien is out of his father's evil clutches, but does that mean that Adrien is out of his father's evil clutches? You can take Adrien away from Gabriel, but you can't take Gabriel away from Adrien. Sadly. There is a long road of recovery and the vengeance of the Critical Inner Voice (TM) to go through. I'm going to follow them through all of that mess
> 
> Part two?? I didn't plan on it, but apparently so

**Author's Note:**

> Child abuse hotline plz
> 
> Also
> 
> Don't have much experience with this kind of abuse, tho I may have projected a little?? I hope it's acceptable
> 
> Adrien's a Disney princess by the way, it's canon. There you go.
> 
> Good Lord, what have I done


End file.
